House GOP Leaders Send Obama Own Plan of ‘Action’

On the day of President Barack Obama‘s State of the Union address, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Va., left, with House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, talks with reporters after a GOP strategy session at Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington.

Associated Press

WASHINGTON–In the opening salvo of the House GOP retreat, the top four Republicans sent President Barack Obamaa letter Thursday staking their own claim to issues flagged in this week’s State of the Union address.

The lawmakers used the president’s Tuesday night speech as the latest reason to invoke their familiar plea for the Senate to consider the GOP bills. The largely partisan House legislation stands little chance of advancing in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

“Mr. President, as you reminded us all on Tuesday night, sometimes things don’t come easy, but we should never give up and never quit,” the lawmakers wrote, alluding to Mr. Obama’s closing comments about inspiration he drew from the recovery of Army Sgt. First Class Cory Remsburg, who was injured in Afghanistan. “We haven’t given up on working with you to find areas of common agreement where we can do good things for the American people.”

Quoting Mr. Obama’s agenda at length, the GOP lawmakers presented a corresponding list of their own legislation to generate new jobs, reduce red-tape for natural gas pipelines and overhaul some workplace regulations. In one area that has seen recent bipartisan support in Congress, the Republicans highlighted a bill that would boost federal research funding for children’s health by eliminating public funding for political party conventions.

“There is no reason that we cannot accomplish our objectives in these areas of common agreement,” they wrote.

House Republicans began their retreat on Maryland’s Eastern Shore on Wednesday afternoon with presentations from Simon Sinek, an author of leadership books, and Robots for Humanity, a robotics program working to improve the life of Henry Evans, a mute quadriplegic.

GOP lawmakers are scheduled to begin discussions on their 2014 agenda on Thursday, shaping their responses to the health-care law, the federal borrowing limit and a proposed immigration overhaul.

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